Stereotype plate casting



June 11, 946 F, A, FOSTER 2;401,727

STEREOTYPE PLATE CASTING Fi'led Nov. 1e, 1943 2 sheets-sheet 1 x N IIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIWIIIWIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIM%!% j?? C l AWE! l Q N l m I :www s mL- gal-ra. l w

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June 1l, 1946. F. A. FOSTER STEREOTYPE PLATE CASTING Filed Nox-f. 1e, 1943 2 sheets-sheet 2 Y x @VI/@ INVENTR. Tian/f r/er Patented June 11, 1946 STEREGTYPE PLATE CASTING Frank A. Foster, Melrose Park, Ill., assgnor to The Goss Printing Press Company, Chicago,

Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application November 16, 1943, Serial N o. 510,457

4 Claims.

This invention relates to stereotype plate casting machines and especially to plate casting machines for casting recesses in the back of a cylindrical or semi-cylindrical stereotype plate,

Objects and advantages of the invention will beset forth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a pair hereof, illustrate one embodiment of the invention, and together With the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view, partly broken away, of a stereotype plate casting machine of this invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing the casting box in open position;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

With the advent of high speed printing, it has been found desirable to subject stereotype plates to circumferential tension. This is done by securing the leading edge of the stereotype plate to the plate cylinder and by imposing a circumfer- L ential tension on the trailing edge of the plate. The patents to Crafts 2,047,357 dated July 14, 1936, Foster 2,647,364 dated July 14, 1936, and Worthington 2,236,230 dated March 25, 194:1 show typical mechanism for imposing circumferential tension on a stereotype plate. It is important, in high speed printing, that this tension be imposed in order that the plate at alltimes will fit tightly against the plate cylinder and in order to compensate for deformation due to possible flow of metal due to the pressure between the plate and form cylinders. The use of circumferential tension also counteracts the effect of centrifugal force which is considerable in high speed machines.

The object of the present invention is to provide a casting box which will cast recesses in the back of the stereotype plate, into which recesses suitable tension applying means may engage when the plate is on the plate cylinder,

More specifically, the invention provides inserts which aremovable inwardly and outwardly with respect to the core of the usual casting box in a stereotype plate casting machine. When such inserts are in their outer position, a portion of such inserts projects beyond the outer surface of the core and when in this position act as a molding pattern for molding in the back of the plate hook shaped recesses, by means of which recesses the plate is secured to the plate cylinder. When these inserts are in their inner position, they are retracted below or within the surface of the core so that the cast plate may readily be stripped therefrom.

An important feature of the invention is that these inserts are moved outwardly and inwardly automatically by the closing and opening movement of the drag. In other words, when the drag is closed, the inserts are moved outwardly into position for casting the plate; when the drag is opened, after the casting operation, the inserts are retracted automatically so that the cast plate can be stripped from the core.

It will be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description as well are exemplary and explanatory of the invention but are not restrictive thereof.

Referring to the preferred embodiment of the invention. illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the stereotype plate casting machine there illustrated is in its main features of a known type, as shown in my Patent 2,100,003 dated November 23, 1937- The mechanism comprises standards 2 supporting a core 4 for casting a cylindrical plate; it wil1 be evident, however, that this invention may also be applied to the casting of a semi-cylindrical plate.

Cooperating with the core 4 is the usual twopart drag composed of parts 6 and 8 hinged together by hinges l0, the two parts of the drag being swingable about the hinges by the handle i2 and lockable in closed position by the handle i4.

The Ycore in the embodiment here illustrated is tiltable to and from casting position by the handle i6, the core and drag beingshown in the open position in Fig, 3. All of the foregoing mechanism is shown in more detail in my Patent 2,100,003.

Coming now to the features constituting the present invention, the core l is provided with a number of recesses 20 conveniently three or four in number, these recesses opening outwardly into the cylindrical surface of the core. Mounted to move back and forth in the recesses 20 are the Each lever 34 is pivoted on a pin 38 carried by a stirrup 40 secured by threaded stud 42 to the described insert 22. It will be evident that as the levers 34 are rocked about pins 32, the insert 22 will be moved inwardly and outwardly of its recess.

Mounted on the strip 26, in pairs, are aligned bushings 45 in the circular apertures of each of which is mounted a la-tch 48, having a lever engaging shouldered head 49. A coil spring 50 between the bushings 46 and bearing against a stud V52 on the latch resiliently urges the latch toward its adjacent lever 34.

'Ifhe operation of the casting box is as follows: `With the casting box open as in Fig. 3, the matrix 30 is put in place in the usual way and the drag is closed. As the drag closes, levers 34 are pressed inwardly by stripy 26, to the position in Fig. 2, thereby movin-g the inserts 22 outwardly to the casting position, as shown in Fig. 4. In this movement the heads 49 of the spring latches v48 snap over the ends of the respective levers 34. The plate is now cast; after it is cooled suciently, the drag is opened, in which operation the heads 49 of the latches engage the ends of their respectiveV levers 34 to move the levers to the open position shown in Fig. 3, thereby mov- 4ing the inserts 22 inwardly to their retracted positionV so that the hooks `24 are out of the recesses in the'stereotype plate, so that the cast plate may be stripped from the core in the usual way. It will be noted that-the control of the movement of the inserts 22 is entirely automatic, the inserts being moved to the operative position .upon the closing of the drag and being retracted to the inoperative position upon the opening of the-drag.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specic mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying 4 claims withoutY departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

I claim as my invention: Y

1. A ycasting box for casting stereotype plates having recesses in the back, comprising a core provided with recesses, a drag pivotally mounted with respect to the core, a border stripmounted on said core and extending axially thereof, inserts mountedrin the recesses in the core and movable inwardly and outwardly with respect to the core, and cooperating means carried' by the core, pivotally mounted on said border strip and drag, for moving said inserts outwardly and inwardly, as the casting box is closed andopened, e

respectively. Y

2. A casting box for casting stereotype plates having recesses in the back, comprising a core provided with recesses, a drag pivotally mounted with respect to the core, a border strip mounted Vonsaid core and extending axially thereof, in.-

ing box is closed and opened, respectively.

3. A casting box for casting stereotype plates having recesses in the back, comprising a core provided with recesses, a drag pivotally mounted with respect to the core, inserts mounted in the recesses in the core and movable inwardly and outwardly with respect to the core, levers carried by the core and operatively connected to the respective inserts, for moving said inserts outwardly and inwardly, and latch means carried by the drag for operatively engaging said levers. 4. A casting box for casting stereotype plates having recesses in the back, comprising a core provided with recesses, a drag movably mounted with respect to the core, double hooked inserts mounted in said recesses and movable inwardly and outwardly therein, lever means operatively connected with the several inserts to move said inserts, and spring latch means carried by the drag for operative engagement with said levers whereby the inserts are moved into and out of casting position. I

FR'ANK A. FOSTER. 

